In search of the perfect lemon bar . . .

This one by Ina Garten comes within striking distance, but I'm not all that fond of the thick crusty top. Overall, though . . . pretty divine. I think I'm looking for a recipe that doesn't have that crusted top, but also doesn't have that odd foamy effect at the top that requires the dusting of confectioner's sugar to disguise. I believe this recipe avoids that foamy top by using a larger amount of flour in the recipe, which seems to kind of float to the top in the way that Bisquick Impossible Pies works.
smitten kitchen suggests a few changes, including a variation for making a thinner lemon layer. I like the thicker lemon layer, but I wanted  a thicker shortbread also, which proved to be harder than just doubling the recipe. I don't like the lemon layer to seep underneath the shortbread at the edges, so I doubled the shortbread recipe and built up the sides, but alas, as in the original, the sides tended to s-l-i-d-e down while baking. What to do? I think . . . though I haven't tried it yet . . . the solution lies in the recipe for pie crust I followed the other day, which was to bake the shortbread with an aluminum foil liner and plenty of pie weights (or dried beans). I'll just have to try it again. Too bad for me.
My tips, besides the pie weights for the shortbread (which can't really be a tip since I haven't tried it yet  . . .)
1) Line the pan with non-stick aluminum foil (both ends) to simplify getting them out of the pan and cutting.
2) Allow to completely cool and refrigerate, preferably several hours, before attempting to cut them. It might even help to put them in the freezer for a bit if you're in a hurry.
3) Dust confectioner's sugar on them after they are completely cooled. If not having them
right away, you might wait until just before serving to dust as the bars will absorb the sugar over time.
In the meantime . . . still looking for the most perfect recipe.

French Toast

It's been ages since I made French toast. I looked up the recipe in Joy of Cooking, and it says the first time I made them was in 1988. Somewhere along the way I stopped making them, but I've made up for it in the last few weeks.

This little gravy boat was part of my wedding china. We don't have gravy too often, but we use this all the time for maple syrup.

Back then I used honey in the egg mixture. This time around I used vanilla and cinnamon.

Bacon, strawberries, blueberries, and of course, maple syrup, round everything out nicely.

Merry Christmas!

It really felt like not enough got done this Christmas, nor done at the right times,

but when you get right down to it, there was some decorating happening, and lights lit up . . .

there were some stockings hung . . .

and a bit of cheer spread around here and there . . .

and a couple or three little collections got out of their boxes . . .

and the Egyptian cat on top of the hall closet got her bell and ribbon.

Some of us made some cookies.

And we crafted some steampunkish crafts.

And we made our version of Christmas crackers.

We ate a lot and we sang a lot and we went to church

and we greatly enjoyed the company of friends and relations.

That seems like the right things accomplished then.

How does your garden grow?

This year not so well. Guilty of outright neglect.
Next year will be better. Pinkie promise.
Right this very minute I am making a cold cucumber soup with fresh dill. Not from my garden, which has mostly never had veggies or herbs in it anyway. Unless you count the mint that threatened to take over the city. But still.
And I am trying these zucchini fritters from whipped to go along with.
(100 Proof Press (veggies), Herbarium or Leavenworth Jackson? (guano bag)
I cannot tell you how I ended up with a bag of dancing guano (that's bat ... fertilizer). Well, actually I can tell you how I ended up with it ... it came in a grab bag purchase. I don't think even I would willingly buy a stamp of a bag of dancing guano. It is kind of cute, though.
I cut the stamp outline and the shadow out with the Craft Robo.

Not Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Looking forward to seeing "Julie and Julia" after having read the book for book group this year.
When at the Smithsonian Museum of American History this summer we saw Julia's kitchen on display. It would no longer be possible to place a stick of butter, or any other tribute, actually in the kitchen. It's all behind plexiglass now.

Ode to Trader Joe's

(Came upon this on another blog and later find out it's called "If I Made A Commercial for Trader Joe's", created by Carl Willat and posted on YouTube. A nice tribute to a fine spot. Too bad it's a store that's not in the golden circle of travel time from my abode.)

More Artistamps

An homage to Wilson's in Door County, made to go with the postcard below. Just a cropped unedited photograph with text added. I think I had the pinhole perforator when I made this, but for some reason chose to use the old Fiskar's postage stamp edger instead. The perforator might have been buried under the leaf blower and other lawn-related junk as it lives in the garage right now.


A Wilson's hot fudge sundae (pencil/colored pencil, pen), with A- waiting for me to take the photo in the background. My kids are very tolerant of my quirks, generally speaking.

This is the first artistamp I ever made, I think. No graphics software, so just text printed on cardstock, and then the sisters were collaged together on top of gold tissue paper, glued onto the background, swiped with a gold inkpad, flicked with gold paint, and then reproduced by color copy. It was made for a book group invitation to a discussion of Wuthering Heights.

Out and About at the Chazen Museum and Memorial Union

I took M. and friend on a little field trip to the Chazen Museum today.
This Deborah Butterfield horse sculpture is one of my favorites from the permanent collection. It's actually part of ArtSmart program, a collaborative program between the museum and the school district. We had posters of this work and some of Deborah Butterfield's other works at school, and I had some lesson plans based on her work.
















This is one that M. was particularly taken with. I don't remember who the artist is, though... I'll have to look it up next time we go.












There is one Louise Nevelson work in the permanent collection. Both M. and I like the use of the violin (and cello?) bridges in the piece. Every time I see it I think about getting some old bridges to use in some assembly work. I do have a little collection of the pegs for strings... I always thought they would make great little doll pieces.













We were actually there to see an temporary exhibit: "Ringmaster: Judy Onofrio and the Art of the Circus". The museum description:
"Judy Onofrio’s life-sized sculptures of extraordinary performers, animals, and circus acts will be exhibited alongside examples of banners, posters, and carvings—drawn from the Circus World Museum collection—that have inspired her work. Onofrio’s glittering constructions are carved, molded, painted, and assembled from wood, fiberglass, beads, ceramic shards, and collected objects. With Onofrio as ringmaster, these materials take form as contortionists, acrobats, and magicians of yesteryear who once again twist, soar, and cast spells for audience..."
Photographs of the temporary exhibits are not allowed, but you can see some of the pieces that were on display at her website. I was amazed at how large the pieces were... some of them must have been 12 feet high... and so detailed.
In Ring of Fire, (third row down on the page you can get to from the "exhibition" link on the left), the woman balances without being attached to the hoop... you can see her swaying gently up in the air.
































I've probably passed by this door a million times... it's a church right in the middle of campus... between the Humanities Building, the Chazen, the University Book Store, and the Lake Street Parking Ramp (where I have spent countless hours roaming in circles looking for parking), but I don't think I've ever had a camera when I passed by the very cool doors.
We wandered over to the Union, got a Babcock Hall ice cream cone, and sat out on the terrace to watch the lake and the boats. (This is right after the major rains/flooding we had here, so the lake level is really high, and probably a bit toxic at this point, but that doesn't seem to phase anybody out there.)

Texas Barbeque

We were in Texas checking up on the old home place. On the way out of San Antonio we stop at Rudy's. We're tickled that they bill themselves as the "Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas". It's good, though. When my grandmother and great aunt did the run out to the country house, they always stopped here. In Texas it seems that barbeque is not served on plates. You get a kind of deli paper for the meat, and rectangular paper bowls or styrofoam cups for the beans and potato salad, etc. When you order your barbecue, you don't order a sandwich, you order by the pound. And the bread, at least the bread I've seen, is always from a loaf of soft white bread.











































The rest of the pictures are from Woody's, the barbeque/gas station/convenience store down the highway from the old home place. Much the same scenario... house barbeque sauce for sale, and all manner of meats and other foods for sale, including fudge, pecan pie, and those pink peanut patties I used to eat all the time when we visited grandmom in the summer. Two big stainless steel serving canisters of iced tea, one sweet and one unsweetened. Picnic tables and loaves of bread just laid out on the table... help yourself. The gentlemen behind the counter were pleased to provide samples of everything they had for sale, including buffalo and venison jerky, and elk summer sausage.

WDW - Animal Kingdom and Lodge

This is the first time we've been to the Animal Kingdom or the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Like the Kingdom... LOVED the lodge.

Expedition Everest












We saw the vine woman! She's on stilts and moves ever so slowly...




















Animal Kingdom Lodge - looking over the pool area. We had a reservation for a dinner buffet at Boma. So delish... they were kind enough to email some of the recipes for dishes we liked most.






























This is the lobby area. We (I, that is), decided we have to save all our pennies in order to be able to stay here a few days.


































Detail of the chandeliers.















In amongst all the artful "inspired by" were many original pieces of African art.

Mississippi Houseboat

My book group took a weekend excursion on the Mississippi on a houseboat, courtesy of the planning and piloting of a member and her friend who loves being on the river. We had to have a book, of course... and that book was The River Queen.

Houseboats in a row.

Home away from home. Very cozy, with electricity and a real live bathroom. 

Close quarters, but comfy nonetheless.

Our main activities were kayaking, eating, reading, eating,

talking, eating, admiring the views as we toodled up and down the river,

and eating.

The food... many thanks to the book club members, all of whom it seems are quite accomplished cooks. My contribution was an appetizer of hot spiced pecans, and a Red Velvet Cake, a redux of a club meeting for Getting Mother's Body.

The views... the houseboat as we traveled up and down the river or were anchored on a beach, from the kayaks... lazily paddling through the back byways and collecting monkeypods, riding along with or struggling against the current of the Mississippi.

Though it looks idyllic... there were a few "inconveniences" ~ 

the unexpected and unseasonable heat wave, the flies, the no-see-ums. 

Just a little reminder.